More lies from National and their Brethren

Written By: - Date published: 5:24 pm, October 19th, 2007 - 8 comments
Categories: brethren - Tags:

Last year Gerry Brownlee told TVNZ that there was “no formal connection” between National and the Brethren. Last week John Key told a meeting on London that “there were no alliances between National and the Brethren”.

Yet Andrew Simmons has just told the ABC that telephone canvassing done for National during the campaign was done “by volunteers at the request of individual MPs”. You can watch him below.

Simmons also maintains the Brethren Church line that their activity in the election had nothing to do with the Brethren Church, and was all done by individual volunteers who just happened to be Brethren Church members. You can watch the whole video here.

Yet the Brethren volunteers, some as young as fifteen, campaigned extensively in at least fifteen electorates. In some cases the phoning was done from the Westmount schools, owned by the Brethren Church.

Ask yourself how God will judge them.

8 comments on “More lies from National and their Brethren ”

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  1. Robinsod 1
    19 October 2007 at 7:16 pm

    I think it’s worth noting that the EB do nothing outside of their church. Every action they take is owned by their faith (that’s part of the exclusive gig), therefore I think the question of whether they were acting for the church is moot. What we really need to ask is why would their church ask them to say they were not campaigning for their church? (as they wouldn’t say that if it was not mandated by their faith?)

  2. Theo 2
    20 October 2007 at 4:02 pm

    I volunteered to poll for national at the last election. A number of people did. All of our own accord. We worked at a number of different locations all over the country, some of which were schools. I don’t see the point you are trying to make here.

  3. mardypants 3
    20 October 2007 at 5:19 pm

    Theo, I guess it depends. Assuming you’re part of the Exclusive Brethren, then one point that’s been made is that your Church covertly campaigned for the National Party using funds that were possibly obtained in breach of NZ laws. What you did is not at issue.

  4. all_your_base 4
    20 October 2007 at 5:38 pm

    The other point Theo is that National continues to deny these kinds of close ties with the Brethren (Brownlee: “no formal connection”).

    Yet things keep coming to light (most recently this statement from Simmons) that suggest National’s still not telling the truth about the extent of the organised planning between them and the sect.

  5. burt 5
    21 October 2007 at 9:46 pm

    Oh my god, some people campaigned for a political party using their own money. Quick get the EFB in place, this kind of thing must be stopped or at least limited to $60K.

    Quick authorise another $15m advertising for WFF and show us all how a family living in Epsom in a $700K house with lots of cool toys can get welfare if we vote Labour.

  6. the sprout 6
    21 October 2007 at 10:31 pm

    oh bertie you really are such a wag

  7. George Darroch 7
    22 October 2007 at 7:41 pm

    It’s not the campaigning that gets me. It’s the lies, the cover-up, and the desperate hypocrisy.

  8. Brett Davidson 8
    23 October 2007 at 9:39 pm

    …and as for polling, surely you’ve heard of push polling, Theo? Of course there are honest pollsters, but the EBs were doing nothing of the sort.

    I agree with George, it’s the deceit and the backroom collusion that offends me, and which points to a deeper corruption of the political process.

    And Burt, glib tabloid headlines are not serious political debate. Do grow up, or at least try to imitate an adult. Really, there is no conspiracy against you; it’s just called maturity – and that’s why no-one takes you seriously.